Back when she last participated in the Chunin Exams, Anya had only been part of the Medical Division. Now she was here as an actual candidate—was this what people meant by taking steps backward as you aged?
Anya, Sasori, and Minato walked along following Team 7's path, but hadn't gone far when Lee came chasing after them again, ready for a showdown with Sasuke.
Naruto, who had been ignored so far, rushed forward first, only to be knocked flat on his back in less than one move.
Sasuke, who had previously shown little interest, scoffed coldly, "Fine then. I'll see what you've got."
Amused, Anya said, "This is interesting. Minato, care to guess who'll win?"
Minato immediately responded, "Lee. I see echoes of someone else in him."
"Sasori, how about you?"
"Lee."
"So it seems we all agree."
As the three were talking, the fight had already begun. Sasuke, completely unfamiliar with Lee's fighting style, made the same mistake as Naruto and charged forward aggressively, only to be kicked flying after just one exchange.
Bruised and battered, Sasuke forced himself back on his feet and activated his Two-tomoe Sharingan.
Even with the Sharingan's ocular power, he still couldn't track Lee's movements and found himself constantly overwhelmed.
Lee offered some explanation: "What I'm using isn't Genjutsu or Ninjutsu—it's pure Taijutsu. Even if your Sharingan can track my movements, your body doesn't have the speed to keep up. In other words, your eyes understand perfectly, but your body can't react."
As Sasuke was kicked into the air once more, Lee unwrapped the bandages from his arms, preparing for his final blow.
Recognizing the technique instantly, Minato exclaimed, [Could it be the Primary Lotus?] Has he mastered such a powerful B-rank Taijutsu already as just a Genin?
Under her mask, Anya smiled. This year's Chunin Exams were turning out much more exciting than the ones during Kakashi's time.
Just as Rock Lee was about to strike down Sasuke, a spinning shuriken flew in and pinned his bandages, interrupting the combo.
A summoned turtle appeared—Might Guy's summoned creature.
Understanding now, Minato remarked, "No wonder—he was trained by Guy. No wonder they resemble each other so much, even their kind of hard work is eerily similar."
Anya sighed dramatically, "Indeed. Back in my day, I trained with the sword just like he does. Sasori, I need to say something about you—I've never seen you actually try hard."
Under his mask, Sasori rolled his eyes. *Sure, I wanted to work hard too,* he thought, *but every puppet I tried to teach learned things instantly. Then I started developing new techniques myself, and pretty soon there was nothing left to learn. So I moved on to poisons, which I picked up right away too. And thanks to absorbing Ryumyaku energy, my chakra reserves surpassed even Kage level. Tell me, where exactly should I focus my efforts?*
Minato watched Lee with admiration: "This kid's future achievements will definitely not fall short of Guy's."
"That remains to be seen. Guy's no ordinary man." Anya recalled vividly the legendary battle between Guy and Madara. Every time a short video popped up while she was scrolling through her feed, she'd always watch it all the way through, then drop a comment: "Why didn't he just kick him in the head?"
While they were chatting idly, Guy led Lee away on the other side. Sasuke approached Anya and asked, "Hey, what are you three lurking around us for?"
Naruto also stepped forward and said, "You're all wearing weird masks—you're clearly up to no good."
Sakura noticed their forehead protectors and remarked, "You're Genin from Takigakure, right? Are you here for the Chunin Exams too?"
"Yes," replied Anya gently, "We followed you because we wanted to discuss cooperation."
"Cooperation?" Sasuke frowned.
Anya explained, "In one part of the Chunin Exams, we have to compete for scrolls. If our two squads formed an alliance, it would greatly increase our chances of success."
"Not interested," Sasuke rejected directly.
"Won't you hear about our abilities before deciding?"
Sasuke proudly stated, "No need. No matter who the opponent is, anyone standing in my way will be beaten down by me."
Seeing the three walking away, Sasori couldn't help but say, "Big Brother Kurotsuchi, they're just a bunch of brats—you're being too patient with them."
"He is the son of an old acquaintance who went through a major upheaval—having a somewhat extreme personality is only normal." Anya wasn't bothered and casually said, "Let's go; the registration deadline is almost upon us."
Minato hesitated slightly; living under constant threat of death, reborn anew—compared to how he'd been before, Anya had indeed changed a lot. In the past, he definitely wouldn't have wasted his time participating in these Chunin Exams at all.
After completing the registration, a small room was packed with Ninja from various nations, gathering together to form quite an imposing atmosphere.
Sasori sharply scanned the crowd once, then silently shook his head.
"Oh, Serpent Master isn't inside. Makes sense—he probably thinks this is boring and has most likely already gone straight to the exam venue to wait."
As soon as Anya finished speaking, Kabuto Yakushi stepped forward. Putting on the guise of an elder brother figure, he started informing Konoha's nine brand-new rookies about some basics regarding the Chunin Exams, deliberately emphasizing that Otogakure was merely a village from a minor country, hence sending the fewest participants—only three people total.
"That person," Sasori recognized him, "It's Kabuto Yakushi, one of Orochimaru's subordinates. Seems like he's specially assigned here as an inside man."
At that moment, Naruto suddenly broke out laughing within the crowd, pointing toward the Genin from different nations while declaring, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I won't lose to any of you. You got that?"
That shout immediately drew practically every Genin's gaze, their eyes filled with dissatisfaction and murderous intent.
"What a personality—just like Little Pepper."
Minato chuckled awkwardly, "Haha, I guess so."
The trio of Sound Ninjas who felt provoked initiated an attack, signaling the beginning of a chaotic episode.
Konoha's first exam proctor, Ibiki Morino, made his entrance. His tall build, stern appearance, combined with two deep scars across his face, exuded overwhelming pressure onto everyone present.
"No unauthorized duels are allowed without the proctor's permission. Even if approved, no lethal actions will be tolerated. Violators will be immediately disqualified. Understood?"
After issuing instructions, Ibiki Morino began distributing number tags, officially starting the written portion—the first phase of the exams.
Naruto, who had been so confident moments ago, suddenly looked helpless, panicking and clueless.
The examination hall was surrounded by proctors. Ibiki Morino emphasized, "During the exam, any cheating or behavior even resembling cheating will result in a two-point penalty. In other words, some of you won't even make it to the end of the test."
Minato began to feel a headache coming on, "It's been so many years; I've mostly forgotten my theoretical knowledge. This..."
Anya stared at him in disbelief, "You don't understand the purpose of this exam? Surely you didn't pass previous written exams without cheating?"
"Cheating?" Minato asked, confused.
"Well, Naruto really is your son. Both of you are so hardheaded," Anya comforted him, "Don't worry, Sasori made a puppet that can easily replicate the answers. Just copy them later."
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